He's no Fred
by alyssialui
Summary: When Teddy turns 13, George takes Teddy as an apprentice in the Joke Shop. He's no Fred, he's just Ted. George/Teddy bonding.


_A/N: I imagine Teddy to be a prankster and growing up around George. So here's a one-shot of Teddy and George bonding._

* * *

"And back here is where were the magic happens."

George gestured about the room with hand extended, allowing Teddy to walk into the room. Teddy and George stood inside the potions room to the back of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Teddy carefully stepped over a mysterious green puddle near his feet.

A few days ago, George mentioned casually over Sunday dinner his need for an apprentice to help out around the store. Since he had taken over the shop full time, he had hired more help around the store, but was hesitant to trust anyone with the task of creating the wonderful inventions and potions. Now as the store was getting even popular he couldn't keep up with the demand.

Teddy jumped up at the chance to work in the twin's joke shop - the fun, the glamour and first-dibs on any new merchandise. But now, Teddy felt like he had been cheated.

George watched as Teddy moved along the edges of the room, looking to the cauldrons on the table surfaces and the shelves above lined with ingredients. Seeing the young boy in this room reminded George of another young boy who bounced around this room in excitement just 15 years ago when the store had just opened.

_"George, our very own store." Fred's grin extended the width of his face. George could feel his own mouth widen. The excitement was contagious._

_They had just made the finally deposit on the place and were looking through the different rooms._

_"This will be the workshop, away from the front in case anything explodes," Fred said seriously with his hand on his chin. _

_George walked up behind him, slinging his arm around his brother's shoulder, "Which is bound to happen at least five a day."_

_Fred continued assessing the room, loudly talking about where everything would go._

_By the end of that week, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was born._

George chuckled, the memory vanishing, and he spoke to Teddy again, "As you can see, the place needs a bit of shaping up. But that's where you come in" George slapped Teddy on the back. Teddy grimaced at the thought.

George continued, "Today, I need your help to straighten in here while Angie and Ginny man the fort." Ange and Gin had taken a day off from Quidditch practice allowing Teddy and I the chance to do some much needed Spring cleaning.

George moved over to the table against the furthest wall, looking into one of the four cauldrons on its surface. "Once this place is tidied, then we can start some real work"

George turned and saw the grin that erupted on Teddy's face. _**That's more like it.**_

* * *

Cleaning the potions room took the good part of a week. Teddy was tired of slipping into the various coloured spills and then finding a third ear on his arm or his legs turning into jelly. George just laughed at the boy before giving him the antidotes. "That was a batch of a new product called Jelly Leggies but I just couldn't get the goop to stay in a solid form."

Once cleaned, George showed Teddy the basics to get him started, just enough to allow him to brew the simpler and high-turnover purchases. Sometimes, George would put him on the floor to interact with the customers and make some sales.

Teddy worked in the shop every summer, learning the tricks of the trade and having a great time. _**Works not work if you're having fun.**_ He learnt all the steps needed to create most of the Weasley products which was great for business. This allowed George to stay in the front of the shop managing sales, while the potions were still being brewed by Teddy in the back room for restocking the shelves.

* * *

"Oi George! We need some more Fainting Fancies and Fever Fudge!" Teddy called out, bringing the pails that held the products towards the back room for filling. This had been Teddy's second summer working at the shop.

George stuck his head out, "The next batch will be ready in about 5 minutes."

As Teddy made his way across the mayhem that was the store, a distracted group of girls bumped into Teddy causing him to knock over a display of vials of clear liquid. The vials fell to the floor, shattering and forming large puddles at their feet, and dousing Teddy's head.

Teddy's hands flew up to his face. "Oh no! Aaaah! What's happening to me?" He screamed out and then pulled his hands away from his face to reveal a long hooked nose, a toothless smile, wild black eyes, green skin and ghastly purple hair. The girls screamed and ran hurriedly away from him and out the store, dropping their desired purchases onto the floor.

Teddy quickly changed his appearance back to normal, complete with neon green hair. He turned to laughing George almost collapsing in the doorway, "I do have a way with the ladies don't I."

* * *

"Daddy!" A voice called out as the doorbell rang open. The kids ran up behind the counter and grabbed the man standing there around the waist. "Freddie! Roxie!" I bent down and hugged the two of them. A female voice followed the children, "You'd think they didn't just see a couple hours ago."

Angelina stepped behind them, "And there's my favourite girl." The man pulled her close and rubbed her nose against his.

"Daddy, got any new stuff today?" Wild red hair spun around in circles as the man pondered the thought, "Well I don't know. If I did get new jokes then I certainly wouldn't to put them on the third shelf near to the pile of Exploding Knickers."

The children grinned before running of the back of the shop. Angelina leaned over the counter eyeing the man, "You know you're a bad influence." He placed his hand over his chest, "And here I thought I was the angel everyone said I was." Angelina giggled and smacked him playfully then asked, "Where's Teddy?"

Someone called from the backroom, "Teddy, I need your help lifting the cauldron of Chocolate Hairballs into the ice cabinet." Another red-haired man came up to the counter. Angelina's head made a complete 360. "What? Huh? Eh? Who?"

The two red-heads grinned wildly. Then purple dye seemed to pour from the scalp of the man behind the counter and his features softened and before her was now a grinning fifteen year old.

"So Ange, I see you're into younger men now." George came up from behind Angelina, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Angelina was flustered. She pushed George's arm off her shoulder and screamed, "Freddie, Roxie, we're leaving"

The kids ran up to their mother, "Do we have to go now?" She just grabbed their hands and walked out the store, "I'll speak to you later George Weasley."

* * *

George greeted the Boy-Who-Lived and his little army. "So what evils have to conspired today my pretties?" George looked down at the kids. Lily blushed while James and Albus grabbed their uncle's hands.

James started, "Mum wanted us to clean our rooms today, but me and Al just wanted to fly this morning. So we grabbed the snackbox you gave us and each popped a sweet. Anything to keep us in bed for a few minutes. But we didn't know we ate the Fainting Fudge."

Albus took over, "Mum was in a panic, running around the house. Dad came up and then saw the box of candy."

"Now we're grounded, literally. No more flying," James ended.

George frowned, "Well that's not a good ending to a story. Oi Teddy!"

Teddy hung above the family on a broom, hanging up the new decorations and promotions for the store along with two other girls, "Ya George?"

"Come down, I need your help."

The sixteen year old floated down and stood beside George and the children. "Hey James, Al, Lily" "Teddy!" "What you need George?"

George leant over into Teddy's ear and then Teddy's eye popped open. He quickly ran into the backroom while George turned to Harry.

"Gin's a Chaser. She should know how horrible it is to be grounded."

Harry held up his hands, "I tried to tell her to do anything else but she was persistent." George laughed, "That's my sister."

Teddy came back, "But I'm her brother. Kids, how about we unground you?"

Teddy tossed one of the brooms he got from the backroom to a smirking George and a shocked Harry.

"Pick your kid," George said looking towards the older men. Harry quickly understood and grabbed Lily by the waist. Teddy grabbed James and George grabbed Albus. They all mounted their brooms and George pulled out a small ball from his pocket. It was red and about the size of a walnut. He tapped it with his wand and then it started to smoke. He tossed the smoking ball to Harry, which stuck to Harry's clothes, as he and Teddy rose into the air.

George shouted down, "That's our new product, Explosive Bangers, sticky little things. Randomly goes off. Person it explodes on loses." George and Teddy sped away, James and Albus screaming in delight. Harry pulled the ball off the front of his shirt before kicking off the ground himself.

They flew around the shop, tossing the smoking ball among each other as the puffs of smoke grew denser. Teddy and George flew alongside Harry, who was trying to dodge the ball between.

"Now Harry," Teddy started, if trying to explain something to a child, "me and George invented-"

"-this ball." Fred picked up, "We've already had our fair share of-"

"-explosions." Teddy frowned.

The ball was glowing bright red as Teddy and George expertly juggled the ball over and under Harry, hoping it would stick to him.

Teddy looked at the ball as it made a whistling noise, "Oi George, its-"

"-time." George grinned.

Teddy flew right on top of Harry and stuck the ball to his back.

The ball exploded, but not into chaos and destruction, but covered in green slime. Lily screamed out, "Eewwww!". Teddy and James and George and Albus just laughed at the pair.

* * *

Today was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes special event: The 17th Annual Fred Free Day! George started this event in honour of Fred. His one true dream was to evoke laughter and share his jokes with the world. On this day, all merchandise in the store was completely free, giving the gift of laughter to all. George always made sure to put the things they couldn't afford to take a loss on into the backroom. _**It's a nice thought but not good business.**_

Banners were strung in the store, with large letters "FRED FREE DAY" and a large portrait of Fred was hung at the front of the store. All employees wore "Fred" badges to celebrate the day. The store was teeming, so full that persons were lined up outside waiting to get in.

_**Fred would have loved this.**_

George retreated to the backroom to get a new batch of Sniviling Sours. He saw a figure hunched over the cauldron in the centre of the room, the bright glow of the liquid contents cast a shadow on his face.

Without thinking, George had called out "Watch it Fred, it wouldn't be to get your sweat into that batch."

"What did you say, George?" Teddy looked up from the potion into George's face.

George suddenly halted when he realized his mistake. He called him Fred. Fred, who also hunched over potions until he almost fell asleep in one. Fred, who had spent mornings at the Burrow helping to get rid of gnomes. Fred, who blamed him for the missing cookies but then gave him his share of the spoils.

Hit by the sudden wave of memories and emotions, George slowly fell to the floor, sitting down with his back against the wall. "Oi George, what's the matter?" Teddy asked, walking over to George.

As he got closer, George to see the large difference in Teddy's face than in his brother's. Fred wasn't here. And George's heart ached on this 17th Fred Free Day.

"Teddy, could I ask you to do something for me today?" "Sure," Teddy quickly agreed. He was very concerned for his mentor and good friend. Reaching into his back pocket, George pulled out a picture. Ted nodded in understanding.

Teddy's features shifted as he matched the person in the image. He only had to grow a bit as he was the same as the boy in the picture but still not quite. His arms elongated and his skin became pale and freckled. His brows bent and his cheeks turned. And with the finishing touch, Teddy adopted the trademark Weasley red hair.

Fred stood before George again, seventeen and grinning down at him, and his heart pulled itself together a bit. He could have Fred again for one more day.

Putting on his best Fred impression, Teddy said, "No Georgie boy, put on your big girl skirt and get back out there."

The voice was different, which reminded George that he was no Fred. He was just Ted. But for this moment, George was just grateful.


End file.
